asked the Minister for Energy what is the average retail price of a ton of coal to domestic consumers in the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Belgium and the United Kingdom, respectively.

The following figures have been taken from the latest published ILO statistics and relate to October 1972; grade and qualities are not denned and are not necessarily comparable.

Coal for domestic use £ per tonne
Germany	20
France	28–34
Belgium	29–32
United Kingdom	19
Source: International Labour Office. Bulletin of Labour Statistics, 2nd quarter 1973.

Typical retail prices of Group C house coal in the United Kingdom vary from £14·50 to £23·00 a ton, depending on the location of the consumer. Very little bituminous coal of comparable quality is sold in Europe for domestic purposes.

asked the Minister for Energy what is the average price per ton paid by the steel industry for coking coal in the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy and the United Kingdom, respectively.

Prices paid for fuel by the British Steel Corporation are matters of commercial confidence between the corporation and its suppliers. Similarly, I have no knowledge of prices paid for coking coal by the privately-owned sector of the United Kingdom steel industry.The latest published information from EEC sources shows the following figures:

Coking fines—list prices
	October 1972 $ per tonne
Germany	29–31
France	27
Belgium	25
Source: Statistical Office of the European Communities Energy Statistics Yearbook 1972.